The Mississippi legislature is expected to engage in a full-court press on education measures, from school choice to a teacher pay raise to chronic absenteeism, when the 2026 session begins in January. Another classroom-related item one lawmaker is looking to reintroduce is a bill to make civics mandatory at the high school level.
In the most recent session, Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, authored a bill that would have required Mississippi educators to teach students the core functions of the American government from the federal level all the way down to the local ranks. The bill also made civics a mandatory course for high school graduation.
The legislation passed the Republican lawmaker’s chamber unanimously, but when sent across the hall in the capitol, it did not make it to a floor vote. Wiggins is hopeful that his House colleagues will be more receptive to the concept this time around.
“You only need to go on social media to understand that our understanding of how the government works, particularly separation of powers and checks and balances, is at a low ebb,” Wiggins said on MidDays with Gerard Gibert. “We need to get back to talking about the Constitution and understanding how things work.”
Under Wiggins’ proposal, which is expected to be the same as the one in 2025, students will have to complete regular courses of instruction in the “factually accurate history of the United States, in civics, in the Constitution of the United States and in the government of the state of Mississippi” with classes being available in the eighth grade and before students complete their senior year.
Civics courses would also consist of a nonpartisan curriculum teaching the core functions of government, the differences in local and federal offices, and how checks and balances hold governing officials accountable. It would serve to inform youth how they can be more involved as citizens of their local communities.
The 2026 legislative session will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 6.